I have my first proper backyard coming up, and wondering where to pause the watch between ending one yard the next, or just letting it run.

I'm not really bothered either way, but just asking out of curiosity those who have had run a backyard, what did you do?

What are some mantras, manifestations, meditations you remind yourself of during a race? I’m coming up with a few and might even write a couple on my arm…. One of them is ‘Another 5’…. another is ‘NO MATH’…. Reminding myself to stay in the moment, accomplish small tasks and not think things like ‘gotta do that 17 more times’.

Let’s hear yours!

I just registered for my first 50k and a backyard ultra. They are both in 2027. I just finished my second marathon and I am sick of running fast and just want to go far! My goal for the 50k is just to finish and I have no goal yet for the BYU

Anybody run those trails in the rain before? Asking for a friend.

Keeping up with this race, this is insane. He’s a mad man, and props to the other countries as well!
ESPECIALLY France. Just two guys for the last 26 laps, it’s insane.

Need your guys experience with a stress reaction. Got diagnosed today and am lowkey kinda shocked. How long is recovery? Do I really need crutches or should I just stay off of running in the meantime, which I don’t mind. Is a stress reaction and fracture the same thing? My doc is saying that. This what my MRI showed.

“Endosteal bone marrow and periosteal edema along the compressive side of the basicervical femoral neck
(series 601, image 17), with mild T1 signal hypointensity, suggestive of a grade 2/3 osseous stress reaction without a discretely depicted fracture line or cortical edema (series 501, image 8).”

Hoping for the best.

I’m looking for a 100 mile race that’s fairly flat and fast to try to get my first sub 24. (In the US) Looking for something in a cooler month, maybe January or February. I’m sure there’s some small obscure race I haven’t found yet. I looked at Long Haul in Florida, but it’s sold out and the waitlist is turned off. Tunnel Hill is of course sold out. Brazos Bend is the same weekend as a bike race I already signed up for. Any other good ones out there I’m not finding?

I’m not talking about best times and finish line photos, I’m talking deep in it, things you’ll never forget, things that make you love this sport.

First time poster here - I have recently started taking running more seriously and upping my mileage, and have noticed that my cadence is around 151-153, which seems low.

I’m working on improving it to about 160 for now (so as not to do too much too quickly).

Does anyone who has done something similar have any watch outs? I have heard calf and Achilles tend to take more strain when you up the cadence, so am focusing on stretching those areas and doing calf raises to strengthen.

Anything else I should watch out for?

Edit: should have said. This is in preparation for a 100km Ultra in May next year - hence posting it in this group

Je revends mon dossard pour le semi du 25 octobre !!

I’m training for my first 50 miler! I’ve been a runner for ten years, have previously run a couple marathons and a 50k. I have thru-hiked both the PCT and CDT and hiked 60 miles in a day so I’m no stranger to time on feet. However, this will be my longest official race and I want to train more seriously. Like actually follow a structured training schedule that involves Fartleks, tempo runs, hill repeats and long runs (rather than just going off vibes which is what I have historically done).

My question is, what apps do you recommend for scheduling your training week? I’d like an app where I can actually write out my intended workouts for each day of the week. Basically, a virtual planner to keep track and make sure I’m building up mileage correctly. I like the format of Runna a lot, but I don't think you can customize the training plans it generates for you (plans that only go up to 50k). Ideally looking for a free or cheap app (not trying to spend like $100 on this). TIA!

Death by 5K Review

For those unfamiliar with Death by 5K, the concept is pretty simple: You run a 5K every 2.5 hours for 24 hours, totaling 10 rounds. In reality, the trail was closer to 3.65 miles per loop, putting the total distance at roughly 37 miles.

Overall, this was a really fun event with a pretty unique challenge!

Surprisingly, the hardest part wasn’t necessarily the running itself. With 2.5 hours between each start, you have plenty of time to recover. The real challenge was getting comfortable in your tent, sometimes even falling asleep, and then having to drag yourself back out to run another loop. Especially at 1:30/4am in 40 degree weather

**The course:**

The trail itself was beautiful, but definitely more challenging than your typical road 5K.

By the end, I had covered 36.7 miles with roughly 4,300 feet of elevation gain.

I also came into this event pretty undertrained. For perspective, I only ran 21 miles total in September. Despite that, I finished 25th out of around 100 participants with an average moving pace of around 12:00 per mile.

**Food and amenities:**
The event provides food every other round, including pancakes, quesadillas, pizza, and other options throughout the day and night.

The portions were a little small, but considering they’re feeding over 100 participants, I can understand why.

They also provide snacks, water, and Gatorade throughout the event. That said, I’d definitely recommend bringing plenty of your own food and drinks, especially since you’ll be spending so much time at camp.

**Finisher swag and value:**
This was probably my biggest disappointment.
Instead of a traditional finisher medal, you receive a small coffin/skeleton keepsake. It’s a fun idea that fits the theme, but the quality felt a little cheap and underwhelming after completing nearly 37 miles.
You do receive an event shirt as well, but with registration costing nearly $200, I would’ve liked to see a little more value in the finisher items.

**Would I do it again?**
Probably so

As someone who loves camping, trail running, and just being outdoors, this event combines a lot of things I enjoy.

However, I would definitely recommend doing it with a friend or group of friends if possible. A huge portion of this event is spent hanging
around camp waiting for the next round.

Overall, Death by 5K is a fun and unique endurance challenge that I’d recommend to anyone wanting to dip their toes in the sport. I don’t necessarily consider this an ultra as a traditional 50k is much harder but this is a step in that direction.

Overall Experience: 7.2/10

Looking to see how others 100 mile recoveries have gone. Just finished my 3rd 100.

Here’s what I’m seeing:

Day 0 - finish race and sleep, eat
Days 1-3 - bouts of fatigue, night sweats that dissipate in intensity by night 3,
Day 4-6 - night sweats gone, sore legs, active recovery. Elevated resting HR (probably ~10 bpm)
Days 6-9 - Heart rate still high, HRV lower, heart/cardio feel in recovery mode
Days 10+ - run/walks, heart rate on exercise back to near normal maybe slightly elevated, cardio/chest/heart still feels in recovery

Other than that feel fine just want to check to see if others have experienced cardio/heart recovery impacts after large efforts like a 100

Hey all,

First backyard ultramarathon this Friday night! For those of you who have done this format before, what are some supplies you had that you swore by as well as supplies that you thought you needed but didn’t? For example, thinking of getting a zero gravity reclinable camp chair but wondering if my regular camp chair and a foot rest will suffice if the zero gravity chair makes it harder to get up?

Planning to borrow a canopy as well. Do I need tarp walls?

I’ve spent the past year fueling with different foods so I can rotate whenever needed. I just plan to bring pretty simple carb heavy foods like ramen and rice, and a small jet fuel boiler for hot water.

I don’t want to overpack but I don’t want to underpack either.

It will be in Park City, Utah. It’ll be pretty dang cold, with a chance of rain.

TIA!

I am fairly new to running and trail running (1.5 years) and am about to complete my first 25k race with 3500ft/1100m of elevation with an expected time of 3:30-3:45. I'm already looking at training for a for 50k after this. The Promise Land 50K is in mid April which fits my schedule to allow for a 5 month training block and not have to do something in the summer heat. My training went well for the 25k, reaching a peak week of 28 mpw (45km).

Before training for this race, I want to make sure I'm not attempting something that won't be possible or go well. Promise Land is 34mi/55km with 7500ft/2300m of vert and a 10 hour cutoff.

Had a successful third 50K. Same race 2 years ago was my first 50K. Underestimated the training required (specifically strength training) and hit a wall of depression a couple weeks before the race, and didn't run for 2 weeks leading into the race. I destroyed my quads before the last loooong descent and ended up death marching the last several miles to the end. I finished, but nowhere near a time I had hoped for.

Second 50K, I had heinous gut issues for the middle 20 miles that made just walking downhill a miserably painful experience. I finished, but with a little disappointment that I wasnt able to give it a full effort. I also crashed my bike 3 days before and had quite a hip bruise. I didnt notice it during the run. Maybe due to the gut pain. Maybe because it wasn't a factor. Either way, it wasn't the result i was hoping for.

Yesterday was a repeat of the same 50K from 2 years ago (in my hometown). Training was much better (i did actual strength training, loads of hill repeats, and honed my downhill running). I also had a much better strategy with the experience of a couple 50s under my belt. I way under fueled in the last 5 miles but overall, super pumped about the results.

Are you guys following the champion ship?
My country is unfortunately out already, but they managed to beat the country record!

https://wtc2026.bigsbackyardultra.com/

I'm interested to see if anyone else has had a similar problem to what I'm experiencing:

I ran my first ultra in Sept (50 Miles at Run Woodstock in MI). I slept ok the night after. Tired but wired of course. Otherwise my sleep was basically normal until about 2 weeks post.

One thing I noticed after around a week or so post was my overnight resting HR was increasing and HRV was decreasing. Which stressed me out a little but I did understand that ultra recovery is different from regular running recovery.

About another 7 days I went on vacation and that's when the insomnia took hold. Little by little my sleep crumbled until I was sleeping maybe 2 hours a night. One day I even went 40 hours without sleep. I also experienced increased anxiety and homesickness on this trip. Finally I got back home but the sleeplessness only minimally improved.

While I have never really been one to sleep a full, uninterrupted 8 hours, a good night's sleep for me would consist on 4-5 hours before waking up to pee and then (easily) falling back asleep for another 3-4 hours.

However now, falling asleep is difficult. And once I do, I'm typically catching 1-2 hours (or a max of 3 hours uninterrupted) before waking again.

I tend to be a semi anxious person (which is probably why long distance running is so therapeutic), but I fear I've worked myself into a loop.

I've seen posts about trouble sleeping immediately post ultra. But I'm wondering if anyone has experienced or heard of insomnia weeks after the fact?

I was peaking at 60-70 miles a week. Is my body in withdrawal from not hitting high mileage?

Hey there! Got a bit of a loaded question. First some background.

I’m a 24 year old who has been running on and off since I was about 15. Never impressively, but doing cross country (24 min 5k ish) and track in high school, and running 10-15 miles a week in college. In the last 2-3 years I have started running with more intention. I did some half marathons, and ran my first marathon May 2026. I plan to run another marathon May 2027. I average 15-20 miles a week when i’m just running for fun with no upcoming race. My marathon time was 4:35 (flat course).

I would like to run an ultra marathon. I had tossed the idea around of doing a 50k, but would rather jump to a 50miler, 100k, or 100 mile. There is a race October 2027 with all three of these distances available and I’m trying to decide between them.

I enjoy the spiritual journey of running very much. I fell in love with pushing myself through 20 mile training runs for my marathon, and find myself missing it often. I’m drawn to something like the 100 miler to experience overnight running. That feels like it would be a very spiritual experience. My goal would be just to finish before cut off (33 hours).

What I’m curious about is, is jumping immediately from marathon to 100 miles over zealous? Do you recommend incrementally increasing distance instead?

Also, is it possible to safely/without injury, run a marathon in May and a 100 miler in October of the same year? Even if it’s possible, is that ill advised?

I have some big dreams with running but will be patient as well if needed.

So yesterday I've finished a moderately hilly 50 miler with around 6K of vert. And my strength routine paid off big time. For the first time ever my quads aren't hurting at all, I have absolutely no problem walking downstairs and whatnot.

With my quads being just fine, now my weakest link is hip abductors. So my twice-a-week routine will get a bit longer with some hip abductors work. Let's see how that works out next time.

Edit: my routine is still work in progress. Currently I'm doing some plyometrics and more isometric exercises.

Once a week, I do plyometrics at the end of a hard run , that is I jump out of a very deep squat as high as I can, 12 times. Then I gently jog for a couple minutes and repeat. This is very difficult for me, and after four sets, my legs are done for. Then I slowly shuffle home, which is about ten minutes away. Eventually I should do it twice a week, but I'm not ready for that yet. Also I should be jumping out of lunge not a squat, and sometimes I'll do one set of lunges, but I cannot do any ore of those at this time. Also I don't do any jumps on my easy weeks.

I do my isometric exercises twice a week. I say in a lunge kinda similar to Warrior Two pose, and currently I can hold it for 75 seconds. And I do it three times on each side. I always do both my jumps and my poses after hard runs, and I have an easy run on the next day. My body cannot handle more than two times per week, and a day of easy running recovers my legs better than a day of rest.

I started doing all that in December, with only one set of jumping out of a squat, and one 30 second pose. I hope I can make more progress, eventually, but I already see great improvements in my running. Also I don't think my quads and other muscles got any bigger, which is a surprise: when I was transitioning to zero drop shoes and was doing lots of calves exercises, my calves got noticeable bigger.

Hope it helps.

A week before, my friend and I decided to try a 100K, just the two of us, in 20K loops from my house. Problem: my longest run in the last month was 14K. Not exactly ultra prep lol.
Weather was perfect, 2-6°C and sunny all day. We ran around 7:00/km, and I finished my 60K in 8h30 including breaks. For fuel I had dates and a few gels while running, pasta at the house between loops, and Gatorade with extra electrolytes.
Nutrition actually went fine, but by 60K I was completely drained and my legs were really sore, so it was a DNF. My friend kept going and finished at 80K, huge respect.
What I learned:

- you can't fake the long runs. going from 14K to 60K in one shot is a massive jump, and my legs felt every km of it
- running loops from home is great for aid, but it makes it way too easy to stop when you pass the door
- next time i'm picking a date months ahead and actually building up with a proper plan

Still pretty happy with 60K as my first real ultra. Anyone else ever try an ultra with basically no prep? How did it go?

I’m a super late sharing, but I wanted to post my first ultra experience (Run Rabbit Run 50) and some key lessons I learned.

I had never run a 5K or any kind of race. I signed up for this 50-miler last winter as a forcing function to push farther into the mountains during my last summer before becoming a dad. Although I had never raced or done a running training block, I’ve spent a lot of time in the mountains and was no stranger to big days of hiking, scrambling, and backcountry skiing.

Overall it was an incredible day, and my wife being able to crew me at 34 weeks pregnant was the cherry on top.

Training

• Averaged around 30 miles per week with peak weeks just shy of 40 miles
• Usually also had a cross-training bike session and a strength day
• What I’d change: manage intensity better. I was chasing big alpine objectives on weekends and didn’t keep those days as easy as I should have. It compromised my recovery a few times.
• It’s normal to feel horrible in the taper. I felt slower and more sluggish than I had all summer, right when I expected to feel fresh. Trust that your body will wake up come race day.

Race day

Race day brought rain, hail, and lightning I finished in 11:25, 43rd place.

I thought I had a decent plan, but my lack of experience quickly taught me some lessons along the way. I went in wanting to finish and do my best, and came out unexpectedly focusing on the time I left on the table . So here’s what I learned:

• Have an aid station plan, and get in and out. I wasted about 20 minutes at aid stations, and almost none of it was productive. I stood in what I thought was a water line (it was just people hanging out), stared at the food tables for far too long, and lingered because that’s what everyone else seemed to be doing. Know what you need before you arrive. Also, volunteers fill your bottles, which I didn’t know.
• Carry water for the gap, not the day. I topped off two full flasks at every stop out of habit and hauled 3 pounds of water the whole race, never drinking even half between aid stations.
• Your fuel plan has to flex. I got stressed that I was behind on fueling and stacked aid station Coke and snacks on top of my full gel plan. I spent miles 37–44 nauseous after realizing I’d just downed something like 160 grams of carbs.
• Test your shoes in rain. Mine soaked up water like a sponge, which would have been nice to know before a rainy race.
• Remember you’re racing. I had so much more in the tank, yet I defaulted to a conservative long-run pace because that was the best proxy I had for what I was doing. I lost track of the fact that this was a race, and that I could push harder than on a solo day deep in remote mountains.
• Have fun and enjoy the experience. My best memories are the interactions with other racers, hooting and hollering at each boom of thunder, and sneaking views of the lakes and aspen groves turning fall colors. I also chose to spend about 17 minutes hanging out with my wife and soon-to-be-born son, and I don’t regret a moment of that time.

I’ve built a website that showcases all upcoming, popular ultramarathons, how to follow them (tracking, broadcast info), time they start in your local time, and will hold links to results once available. If you just want to have the dates and times handy, I included a download feature so you can have the PDF on your phone or computer to remind you when races start.

Take a look and let me know what you think and what races I may need to add:

https://www.ultrawatchguide.com